George Lopez’s Estranged Daughter Mayan Says ‘Love Has Brought Us Together’

Published: October 10, 2023

George Lopez’s Estranged Daughter Mayan Says ‘Love Has Brought Us Together’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Mayan Lopez says working with her father, comedian George Lopez, on the sitcom LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ is “very healing.”

“I think we have a deep respect for each other,” Mayan explained. “I think when we go past those doors, we are, yes, father and daughter between scenes. He’ll give me a hug, he’ll give me a kiss.”

She continued, “We’re always connected, but we can put our hats on and be creative and critical of each other in ways that it’s just two performers talking to each other and to feel safe, which is something that I haven’t always felt with him. To feel that now, it’s very healing.”

Mayan and George’s relationship was rocky for nearly a decade after his split from her mother, and the two were not on speaking terms. In 2020, the pair started to repair their relationship, which led to LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ, a show that tells a fictional version of their own struggles.

Mayan has called the show “role-play therapy” but admits it can be difficult to explore those emotions.

“We just did a Christmas episode, but I haven’t spent Christmas with my dad in 10 years,” she said in an interview with Variety. “I got jealous of my character. But on the other side, my mom went to that taping, and we all had a great talk as a family.”

Mayan elaborated on those feelings in another interview with PEOPLE, saying, “With the show, I’m having similar conversations, hard conversations that I’ve had with him or struggled to have with him — and now we’re doing it on TV for millions of people to see. But what’s so wonderful is that both of us have been through a lot of pain, but the love has always brought us together.”

“We’re still at a very good place,” she shared. “I think it’s going to be interesting how last season, it was so new for us. I’m very curious to see how second season things are going to be changing, and I think it’ll be changing in our relationship. And I love my dad and I am so grateful for this experience because we are truly stronger than we’ve been, and so I’m just excited to see where we can go.”